(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries have kicked into high gear their support towards Haiti in the aftermath of the powerful earthquake which hit the French Speaking CARICOM country on Tuesday January 12, 2010.

Member States have offered support to rescue and recovery missions in Haiti in the form of military assistance, search and rescue teams, medical personnel, artisans and aircrafts.

Up to Friday January 15, 2010, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), the agency co-coordinating the regional response, was still collating and processing pledged assistance from around the region.

While preliminary discussions for accessing the Caribbean Development Bank’s Emergency Grant of US$200,000 were underway, several CARICOM countries and agencies have already pledged the following assistance:

• The Government of Belize has offered assistance in the form of clothing, food and military manpower.

• The Government of Barbados has established a mechanism for the coordination of national relief efforts and has identified military personnel to support the Community’s response.

• The Republic of Guyana has pledged a US$1 Million dollar donation to the Haiti humanitarian relief efforts.

• The Government of Saint Lucia, Belize, Trinidad and Tobago and University of the West Indies Jamaica have all pledged aid in the form of services for the affected state.

• Grenada is reaching out to the Grenada Diaspora for donations of water and transportation of such to Haiti. The Grenada Broadcasting Television has also scheduled a telethon for Monday 18th January 2010.

• The Government of the Virgin Islands is offering to deploy a Search and Rescue team.

• A Jamaica Defence Force vessel with technical, medical and military personnel and relief supplies was deployed to Haiti on January 13, 2010.

• The Government of Bermuda has placed the use of a twelve seater aircraft at the Community’s disposal.

CDEMA has identified four priority areas for immediate assistance: emergency aid; shelter; search and rescue; and communication.

Search and Rescue Teams are on standby to proceed to Haiti as required and CDEMA has also been liaising with its partners, the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS), the Regional Security System (RSS), the CARICOM Secretariat, CAREC/PAHO and the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) and have put in place an assessment team due to travel to Haiti on Saturday in order to provide appropriate guidance for the immediate needs of the Haitian people.

CONTACT: piu@caricom.org